Women's Basketball Set to Face Hawaii & CSUF in Final Week of Regular Season

RIVERSIDE, Calif.—There's no two ways around it. This is a pivotal week for the UC Riverside Women's Basketball team.

Wins against Hawaii on Thursday and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday will guarantee the team the No. 2 overall seed in the Big West Tournament and a ticket to the Honda Center in Anaheim.

UCR's matchup against Hawaii at the SRC Arena will be on Senior Night, in which forward Malou De Kergret will be honored postgame. De Kergret has been a major contributor to the team's success this season. She has scored in double figures 14 times, including a season-high 22 points against Cal Poly on Feb. 16.

"She has grown so much as a basketball player and as a leader," head coach John Margaritis said. "I hope that she finishes her career on a high note."

As a captain, De Kergret is the team's floor general.

"She leads by example and has so much determination on and off the court," Margaritis said. "She is a winner in every which way."

The Highlanders beat Hawaii on Jan. 30 on the road in a 60-55 victory. Jannon Otto finished with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Daphne Gnago fell one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points.

UCR got another close win against Cal State Fullerton at home on Feb. 7, beating the Titans 62-59. The game had a total of 10 ties and five lead changes. De Kergret scored 15 points.

BLOCK PARTY
The Highlanders have 137 blocked shots on the season, with an average of 4.9 per game. Marina Ewodo had 51 of those and is averaging 1.8 blocks per game. Through 28 games, the team has out-blocked opponents 137-52.

OFF THE GLASS
Daphne Gnago is second in the Big West in rebounds per game, averaging 7.8. Marina Ewodo is tied for third with 7.1 rpg, while Jannon Otto is seventh with 6.6.

KNOCKING 'EM DOWN
The Highlanders lead the Big West in free throw percentage at .766. Jannon Otto leads the conference in free throw percentage at .871 percent. Malou De Kergret is second with .857 percent.

STEALS GALORE
The Highlanders are second in the Big West in steals. Through 14 games, the team has 131 steals (9.4 per game). Keilanei Cooper is third in the Big West in steals/game with 1.9. Daphne Gnago is tied for fourth with 1.8.

IRON WOMEN
Four student-athletes are in the Top 10 in minutes played during conference (4-7-8-9): Marina Ewodo (36.0), Malou De Kergret (34.6), Keilanei Cooper (34.4) and Jannon Otto (33.9).

OTTO-MATIC
Jannon Otto is averaging 18.1 points per game in conference, which is third in the Big West. Otto is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.516).